The Animal Foundation should not be sending any animal off property unaltered.

In a city already overwhelmed by animal overpopulation, it is reckless for a major sheltering organization to allow dogs, cats, or kittens to leave unfixed under foster-to-adopt arrangements, delayed surgery agreements, or coupon-based spay and neuter promises. Once an unaltered animal leaves the property, accountability weakens, follow-through becomes inconsistent, and the risk to the community grows.

This is not just about one adopter or one missed appointment. This is about a larger policy failure. If adopters do not return animals to be spayed or neutered on time, or at all, the shelter’s system has already failed. A policy that depends on people doing the right thing later is not strong enough when the stakes are unwanted litters, more animals entering the system, and more lives put at risk.

The Animal Foundation should be part of the solution to overpopulation, not creating loopholes that can make it worse.

Recent concerns have also been raised about kittens being made available for adoption before they are old enough for spay or neuter surgery, with only a future surgery coupon. That policy is alarming, but it is part of a bigger issue: no animal should be leaving shelter property unaltered unless there is an actual legally enforceable and effective system in place that guarantees sterilization compliance. Right now, the public has every reason to question whether that accountability exists.

We are calling for immediate reform, including:

No dogs, cats, or kittens leaving The Animal Foundation unaltered except in truly limited and clearly justified circumstances

An end to loophole-based foster-to-adopt and delayed sterilization practices that rely on hope instead of enforcement
Full public transparency on how many animals leave unaltered and how many fail to return on time for surgery
Real consequences and enforcement when adopters do not comply with sterilization requirements
Stronger oversight to ensure shelter policies are reducing overpopulation, not contributing to it

The community deserves responsible shelter policies that protect animals and the public. Sending animals off property unaltered is an avoidable risk, and it should not be standard practice.

We, the undersigned, demand accountability, transparency, and immediate policy change.